The Joys of Herbology - Chapter Thirteen

“Merlin’s beard, I think I’ve got it,” murmured Severus as the mixture before him turned blue a third time.  He’d repeated the test several times to be certain of his findings, and now he was.

Mariah bounded in the door, tossing her bag on a chair before scurrying towards him.  “Sorry I’m late, Professor Flitwick kept the class late today.  What did I miss?”

“Only the break we’ve been waiting for, nothing too important,” Severus grinned.

“Really!  Do tell!”  Mariah was practically bouncing in anticipation.  Severus considered prevaricating just to tease her, but pride in his accomplishment won out.

“The bees have a hormonal imbalance.  It’s causing them to lack interest in pollinating, thus they are ignoring the Graminis and the Graminis cannot thrive,” bragged Severus.  “I’ve run the test three times, I’m quite confident in the results.”

Mariah giggled, “So basically what you’re telling me is the bees ‘aren’t in the mood for love.’”

“I suppose you could put it that way.”  Severus reddened, unaccustomed to hearing girls speak of ‘love’ in his presence.

“Well then,” theorized Mariah, “it sounds like we need to brew a love potion.”

Severus rolled his eyes.  “Bees don’t ‘love’, Mariah.”

“All right, a lust potion then.  Surely it won’t be any trouble for you, being the potion master’s apprentice and all.”

“I’m not really his apprentice,” Severus felt his blush increase under the praise.

“You know what I mean, Sev.  Can you do it?”

Severus nodded.  “I believe so.”

“Excellent!  I knew I was right to work on this project with you!  How long do you think it will take,” asked Mariah.

“That depends,” he answered hesitantly.

“Depends on what?”

“Whether you’ll be around to chop and stir for me,” smirked Severus.

Now it was Mariah’s turn to roll her eyes.  “Of course I’ll be helping!  It is a team project, after all!”

“Well, now that that’s settled, I’m going to the library to begin researching how one might alter a lust potion to bee physiology,” Severus began walking toward the door.

“What should I do?” Mariah called after him.

Severus turned and grinned, “You can clean up in here!” before running out the door, leaving a laughing Mariah shaking a fist at him from behind.

After he found the books he required, Severus left the library in search of a more secluded reading spot.  As he passed through the halls though, he noticed several of the prefects hanging banners advertising the coming Yule Ball.  He took little interest, never having been one for dancing and parties, and continued on his way.

He snorted to himself as he passed his least favorite Gryffindors huddled together on his way out the door.  For once, they hadn’t noticed him, they seemed too engrossed in their conversation.  Curiosity piqued, Severus turned the corner and stood, out of sight but within earshot.

“I’m going to ask Lily, of course,” said Potter. “Did you doubt it?”

“I don’t doubt you’d ask, Prongs, but I doubt she’d accept,” teased Lupin.

Potter laughed, “You mock me!  I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”

“Maybe so, but Lily’s not so easily persuaded.  And you can’t deny you’re not her favorite person.”

“She doesn’t hate me that much!  I think she only mildly dislikes me!  Speaking of hating, Siri, are you still dangling after that pudgy Hufflepuff that can’t stand the sight of you?” taunted Potter.

“I’m going to take her to the Yule Ball.  And don’t call her pudgy,” snapped Black.

His friends all started laughing.  Pettigrew replied, “Does she know you’re taking her yet?”

“Of course she doesn’t,” laughed Potter. “I bet she thinks she’s going with Snivellus.  And honestly, they deserve each other.”

Severus heard a scuffle, followed by Black’s vitriolic words. “You don’t even know her, so stop insulting her.  By insulting her, you insult me, and I’m getting tired of it.  I will take Mariah to the Yule Ball, you mark my words.”  And then he saw Black storm past, still unaware of his presence.

“Poor Siri, he’s got it bad,” said Lupin sadly. 

“Do you think she’ll go with him to the Ball,” Peter asked doubtfully.

Severus’ eyes narrowed as he muttered to himself, “Not a chance, Pettigrew.” Sensing the interesting conversation had ended, Severus made his way back to his dorm.  No way in Hades would he let Black take Mariah to the Yule Ball.  Why, he’d take her himself before he let that happen!  Yes, he might just do that.

Days went by and soon the research was complete.  Mariah and Severus met in the dungeons for what they hoped would be their last experimental session.  The potion he’d developed wasn’t all that complicated, they’d done the preparatory work the night before and tonight they would complete the potion and test it on a captive bee and a potted GS they’d harvested earlier.

“So here we are,” said Mariah ominously as she and Severus stood in front of the bee’s cage.  “The moment of truth.”

“Here goes nothing,” said Severus as Mariah removed the binding charm and he sprayed the bee with the potion.

The two watched as the bee tried to shake the liquid off itself, then started flying around as before.  Several minutes passed, yet the bee only circled.

“How long should it take,” asked Mariah tentatively.

Snape shrugged, “I’m not quite sure.”

Just then the bee noticed the small Graminis plant a meter away.  It flew toward it, uncertain at first, then settled comfortably on one of the flowers for a moment before flying on to the next.

“You did it!” shouted Mariah, throwing her arms around Severus.  Several seconds passed before she noticed that Severus was standing very stiff and still in her grasp. She jumped back as if burned.

“I’m sorry,” she stuttered.  “I guess I got a little too excited.”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room.  Severus stood still, staring at the floor.  Mariah took another step back and tried to salvage the situation.  She overcompensated by babbling rapidly, “Well, we’ll need to treat all the bees we can find in the meadow.  I can do that alone if you’d prefer, give you time to write up the methodology you used in the potion.  I think we can each have our sections of the report written by Friday, don’t you?  And then we can meet to integrate them and then we’ll be done.”

Severus just nodded, still observing his shoes.

“Great then.  Excellent work. . .I’ll just be going now.” And Mariah raced out of the room.

Severus looked up after she left and began cursing himself.  “Smooth, Severus.  You sure have a way with the ladies, don’t you?”

He’d just been so shocked, having never been hugged before, that he froze.  It was actually rather nice, except for the surprise part.  If he’d been expecting it, he was certain he’d have done better.

He’d probably offended her, though.  Merlin knows how badly he’d have felt had she reacted that way to his embrace.  He would make it up to her, though.  He’d be extra charming when he asked her after supper tonight to please be his date for the Yule Ball.

“So Snape concocted a lust potion for bees? Wow!” Darby and Mariah were chatting outside the Great Hall before dinner, sharing the day’s events. “I wonder how that would work.”

Mariah laughed. “Don’t ask me, he’s the potions genius.  I just chop and stir.  And clean up messes.”

“It’s good to feel important, isn’t it,” grinned Darby. “But then again, you contributed a lot to the project earlier, so I think you’re probably pretty even.”

“I suppose.  I’m not really concerned about it.  I’m just so excited we FINALLY finished the project, not to mention helped the poor GS recover. . .

“And then there’s you and Snape,” finished Darby.

Mariah blushed, “Well, there is that too.” 

“Have you thought about the Yule Ball yet?”

“What do you mean,” asked Mariah.

“Maybe you should go with Snape,” suggested Darby to Mariah’s surprised response.  “Since you’ve spent all this time working together and all.”

Mariah laughed and shook her head, “I’m afraid it would take a stronger lust potion than even Severus can brew to make that happen.”

The girls laughed together for a few moments before Mariah continued, sighing, “He doesn’t see me in that way.  I mean, he practically fled when I made the mistake of hugging him earlier.  I was mortified!  No, to Severus I’m sure I’m just a silly little Hufflepuff.”

Darby put an arm around her friend and gave her a gentle squeeze.  “I’m sure you’re overreacting.  He was probably just shocked, that’s all.  I mean, I doubt the boy gets hugged every day, and by such a wonderful girl as you”

Mariah gave a little smile, “You could be right.  I don’t want to get my hopes up though.”

“I know, love.  But I have a feeling that he likes you more than you think he does.”

Severus took extra care with his appearance as he changed for supper.  He took a rare before-supper bath and washed his hair twice through, and spent double the usual time brushing his teeth.  Although none of his robes were particularly nice, he chose the least frayed of the lot to wear that evening.

He couldn’t stop berating himself for his offish handling of her affection this afternoon.  She’d hugged him, something that even his own parents never did.  She’d given him a gift that he’d effectively thrown back at her with his lack of response.  But he would make it up to her tonight.

Severus’ spirits were high as he headed for the Great Hall.  He doubted he’d eat much, as excited as he was.  A little nervous, for he wasn’t certain she’d accept his invitation.  But she’d hugged him, and that must have meant something!

He came around the corner and saw Mariah talking to one of her friends outside the door.  Oh no!  He wasn’t ready to talk to her yet, his plan clearly dictated that they would speak AFTER dinner.  He jumped back around the corner and waited for them to go in.  But they weren’t going in, they just stood there talking.  For the second time in recent memory, Severus found himself eavesdropping from around the corner.

“Well, there is that too.”  Mariah was speaking, but he’d missed what was said before that.

“Have you thought about the Yule Ball yet?”  Oh dear.

“What do you mean,” asked Mariah.

“Maybe you should go with Snape,” suggested Darby to Mariah’s surprised response.  “Since you’ve spent all this time working together and all.”  Yes!  Listen to your friend!  She’s obviously smart for a Hufflepuff!

Mariah laughed and shook her head, “I’m afraid it would take a stronger lust potion than even Severus can brew to make that happen.”

And then both girls laughed at him.  Sickened, Severus turned and stumbled back towards his rooms.  The nervousness he’d felt earlier coalesced into a nausea that one feels when one is brutally scorned.  He tried not to vomit as he moved, in a daze toward the Slytherin dorms.

“It would take a stronger lust potion than even Severus can brew to make that happen.”

Damn her!  He’d trusted her, she’d tricked him into thinking she was his friend and then she says this!  He didn’t expect she was in love with him or anything, but to say what she said, that was just evil.  Evil Hufflepuff bitch.  He should have known that it was too good to be true, that he ever would find a real friend.  She and her friends must have laughed after she defended him to Black, did she think he was a charity case or something?   

He muttered the password, then kicked the door closed behind him.  No sign of Winslow.  He threw himself onto the bed and clutched his pillow to him, tight.

He didn’t need her, he didn’t need anybody.  And he’d be damned if he ever trusted a girl again. 

She would pay.  Severus didn’t know how, and he didn’t know when, but he would make her pay.

Damn her.  And damn Sirius Black.  He was welcome to her, the faithless whore.